The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 60 Let the Storm Come Even More Violently
The hall was so silent that one could hear a pin drop.

The eunuch accompanying him shivered violently beside the pillar and dared not utter the slightest sound.

Zhao Xu didn't say anything on the steps in front. His body didn't move at all, as if he was a stone or wooden sculpture.

Zhao Ti stood in the center of the hall, also motionless, his eyes fixed on the imperial edict on the dragon desk.

His name must be on those imperial edicts. He would restore the new law, suppress court officials, and eliminate different voices in the court. He would start with the royal family, so that no one would be able to say anything.

Zhao Xu endured for nearly ten years, from the eighth year of Yuanfeng when Emperor Shenzong passed away to the ninth year of Yuanyou when Gao Taotao passed away, a span of ten years. During this period, he almost always thought about restoring the new law.

After Emperor Shenzong passed away, Gao Taotao immediately abolished the new law and implemented the old law. However, Zhao Xu did not show any dissatisfaction. Instead, he assisted him and talked about learning how to govern the country.

However, about half a year after he took power, he suddenly began to carry out the laws established by Emperor Shenzong, suppressing and exiling all the ministers of the old party. Even those who were dead were stripped of their titles and posthumous names, and their crimes were even questioned.

Zhao Xu naturally hoped to restore the new law as quickly as possible, but he did not have a good opportunity. Precisely because he could not find that opportunity, he dragged it on for half a year. Finally, he changed the reign title to Shaosheng and had it implemented by force.

Zhao Xu had no supporters, and no one in the court knew his thoughts. Even if they did, now that the old party was in power, no one would stand on his side. They would only blame him, rebuke him, and list his misdeeds and mistakes!
"Prince Yan... why did you make such a request?" Zhao Xu looked at Zhao Ti with a low voice.

"I... believe that the new law is beneficial to the country and the people. Compared with the old law, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages!"

"Is that so?"

"I... want to tell my father about his ambitions and the late emperor's desire to strengthen the country!"

Zhao Xu looked at Zhao Ti with a strange expression: "Does the King of Yan think that I have no ambition to strengthen the country and inherit the late emperor's legacy?"

Zhao Ti remained silent. No matter what he said, it would be wrong, so he simply kept silent.

"The Empress Dowager has rejected the new law, the Prince of Yan..."

"Before I entered the court, I treated my grandmother with respect as a filial piety. Please implement the new law to realize my father's ambition." Zhao Ti said calmly.

Zhao Xu looked at Zhao Ti for a while and said, "Yang Jian, please get a chair and ask the King of Yan to sit down."

The eunuch brought over a chair and Zhao Ti sat down.

"Can the Prince of Yan report this to the court?" Zhao Xu looked at Zhao Ti and said with a breath.

"I may report this to you!" Zhao Ti said calmly.

"What do you think of the ministers attacking him?"

"I have been practicing martial arts since I was a child in the palace, so why would I care about a few words from a scholar?"

Zhao Xu asked, "Isn't the Prince of Yan afraid of offending the whole court?"

Zhao Ti said: "Re-implementing the new law will fulfill the will of the late emperor. I have nothing to fear."

Zhao Xu remained silent for a long time. The hall was terribly quiet. The eunuch named Yang Jian pressed himself against the hall pillar, as silent as a cicada clinging to a tree. Even his breathing seemed inaudible.

"If you are demoted and punished, what do you think, King Yan?"

Zhao Ti smiled as he sat in the chair: "Without a title or position, a common man can still express his ambitions!"

Zhao Xu nodded and slowly walked down the imperial steps: "Prince Yan, come with me to see if the storm outside is severe."

The eunuch hurried to the front and blocked the door with his hand.

Zhao Ti stood up and followed Zhao Xu to the palace gate. The eunuch gently opened the palace door, only to see the wind and rain outside, as if the sky was falling, the dark wind was whistling in the dark night, and the raindrops were crackling down, fine and without gaps.

Zhao Xu sighed softly, "What a heavy storm! Tokyo...it hasn't rained this hard in a long time."

Zhao Ti looked at the night sky, which was as dark as an ancient beast. His expression was calm and indifferent. Since it was stormy, it would be better if it came even harder...

The Song Dynasty held three grand court meetings every year, on New Year's Day, the first day of May, and the winter solstice.

During the grand court meeting, all officials came to the court, and each state sent officials to present tributes. Jinshi who had not yet obtained official status in the capital could also wear hats and clothes and attend.

The first grand court meeting of the ninth year of Yuanyou had already passed. The second grand court meeting was originally scheduled for May, but because Empress Dowager Gao Taotao passed away and Zhao Xu took over the government, the second grand court meeting was brought forward to March 30th.

Fast horses were sent out from the capital to deliver the notice, and all the provinces and cities had already guessed and prepared themselves. Some officials from distant provinces had already rushed to the capital in advance.

After returning that night, Zhao Ti never entered the palace again. He went out to enjoy the scenery during the day and practiced his internal skills diligently at night.

It was a fine day, as it was March, the season of blooming flowers. The scenery in the palace was pleasant. Zhao Ti sat in the pavilion in the middle of the lake, drinking tea and watching the little maid feeding the carp in the water.

The fish seemed to understand human nature. In the past, they never gathered around Zhao Tiruo and opened their mouths to beg for food. But as soon as the little maid left, they all gathered around him, and some of them even jumped out of the water.

In the distance, Tong Guan was carrying a hoe and busy tending the flower garden. Originally, the palace had a large garden, but Tong Guan said that it would be better to build a few small flower gardens to make the scenery look more beautiful.

Zhao Ti ordered him to take charge of this matter. Unexpectedly, after Tong Guan completed the construction, what he planted the most was hibiscus.

Hibiscus malva has purple and white flowers that bloom towards the sun. It is the king of sunflowers and is praised many times in the Book of Songs and Erya. It can be used as medicine, it can provide coolness and extinguish heat, and is often beneficial to the lower body.

The sunflower in "Sunflower Manual" refers to this sunflower, not the kind of sunflower that faces the sun. Sunflowers were introduced into China in the late Ming Dynasty. Due to the time difference, their image and characteristics do not match the manual's techniques at all.

Zhao Ti saw Tong Guan planting hibiscus but did not care. Perhaps he missed Li Xian, or maybe it was beneficial to his martial arts practice. In short, he let Tong Guan do what he wanted as long as he enjoyed watching it.

At this time, the maid finished feeding the fish, and Zhao Ti said, "Ruyi, call Tong Yaban over."

The little girl responded and called out. A moment later, Tong Guan came trotting over with a flower hoe on his shoulder and stood outside the pavilion. "The king is looking for me?"

Zhao Ti asked: "How is your martial arts training going now?"

Tong Guan said: "Your Majesty, I have practiced martial arts very quickly and have made some progress."

Zhao Ti nodded: "How different is he from your adoptive father?"

Tong Guan shook his head and blushed: "Your Majesty, I am far behind. I am afraid it will take more than ten or twenty years to catch up."

Zhao Ti said, "There's no rush. The key to martial arts is accumulation. Just practice slowly. Change your clothes, call Zhou Dong, and go out of town with me."

Tong Guan said that he turned around and ran away. He was most afraid that Zhao Ti would mention martial arts and was afraid that Zhao Ti would ask him for the Sunflower Manual. He did not want to become a sinner no matter what.

Afterwards he left the mansion and went out of Tokyo's south gate. Outside the south city, there were many tourists flying kites for fun. Zhao Ti bought a huge flying centipede kite. Tong Guan and Zhou Tong carried it from behind and flew it. For a moment, it looked ferocious and ferocious in the sky, shaking its head and tail, scaring away the smaller kites, such as the spring swallows and butterflies in the surroundings.

I returned home in the evening to continue practicing, and continued wandering the next day. Time passed by unknowingly, and in the blink of an eye it was March 30th, the date for the grand court meeting.

This grand court meeting was different from previous ones. It involved matters concerning Zhao Xu's personal rule. There were many rituals to be performed, as well as memorials from various places to be reviewed. It dragged on for an extremely long time, and it was actually time for the memorial to be submitted in the afternoon.

After the internal and external ceremonies were over, the court officials began to speak. Zhao Ti took a step forward in front of the class, raised his imperial tablet slightly above the altar, and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report!"

(End of this chapter)